Forced Contemplation ADHD version
by Oh Please
Summary: Same story, just broken down into shorter chapters. Kagome and Sesshomaru are injured and trapped in a cave with nothing but time to think. Oh, and she has a concussion, so she's not always thinking straight. Mid-series Canon Inuverse.
1. Summary

AN – This is the same story as Forced Contemplation, but in shorter, bite-sized chapters for those who prefer their stories in this format. This is about mid-series of the anime, before Kagura has been killed.

Oh, fair warning…they are stuck in the cave for nearly 18 chapters in the longer version, so they will probably be there for nearly 3 times that long, since each chapter of the original story will be broken down into 3 chapters for this story. Just thought you should know since some people complained about how long they were in the cave.

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Disclaimer –Yes, yes. We all know that if I owned any rights to Inuyasha, I would be getting paid to write these stories, which I'm not. Names have been changed to protect the innocent. These characters and situations are fictional. Any similarity between the characters and actual individuals is completely unintentional. Member FDIC. Discontinue use if rash occurs. Hmmm, that should cover most disclaimer situations. On with the show.

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Summary – Kagome's life is so full of responsibilities that she barely has time to even breathe, not to mention stop and think about consequences and mysteries. Now, Kagome finds herself trapped in a cave, and pinned under a mountain of rubble after a battle with Hakudoshi. The worst part is that Inuyasha and her friends have no idea where to find her. They think she was either vaporized along with Sesshomaru in an attack, or transported along with him to where ever his orb carries him. Sesshomaru is also trapped in the cave with her, but he's in worse shape. His only arm is broken and his body is shredded from taking the full brunt of an attack. To make matters worse, he doesn't seem to be healing. Something is hindering his demonic healing ability.

Boredom finally sets in as there is nothing to do but think. Kagome goes through her journal of her adventures and realizes some startling truths that she has never had the time to contemplate. Like, "If Koga who's a full demon has a tail, and Shippo who's a full demon has a tail, does that mean Sesshomaru has a tail? And why doesn't Inuyasha have a tail when he transforms?" and "Hmm, if smell is so important to dogs, and Inuyasha said I had a nice scent, what do I smell like? What do dogs like back at home? The smell of bacon? The smell of prey? The smell of other dogs' behinds? Gosh, I hope he wasn't telling me I smelled like a dog's privates." It's amazing what a head injury and boredom can do to a poor girl's sanity.


	2. Chapter 1 Waking

Chapter 1 Waking

Chapter 1 Waking

Sleep was such a rare and wonderful thing. Too often the impatient, loud Inuyasha would disturb her dreams even when she was at home for her rare class attendance. How she longed for a week of nothing to do, no reason to rise early, and the only thing on her agenda; cloud watching. Of course, bathing for hours at a time with scented candles and scented bath salts might be on her to-do list.

Her favorite time of sleep was that hazy period between deep sleep and waking. The time where part of her mind knew she slept, and enjoyed it immensely. The funniest part about this in-between world was how her mind sensed things in the real world and transmuted them into active parts of her dreams. The best imports into her dreams were cooking smells in the morning. The worst imports were urges to go to the bathroom. Her dreams became tortured hunts for a restroom that wasn't broken or exposed to public view. Yes, she knew she had weird dreams. At least, she had yet to have a nightmare about a snake demon popping up through the drain of the toilet. Considering the strange life she led, the occasional toilet adventure was quite tame.

This time she woke enough to know that she wasn't any where near awake, but her mind tried to import some uncomfortable things into her dreams. It was enough to drag her consciousness up a bit to wonder about them.

The first was pain. She must have fallen asleep on her desk since her back suffered with such a crick. Or maybe, she had fallen asleep on the ground on a pile of rocks. Her mind only registered a bit of pain, but she couldn't tell from what part of her body it originated.

The next sensation her hazy mind noticed in her dreams was the cold. Sometimes she woke with her feet being so cold that even 3 layers of socks under her flannel sheets did not help. Once your feet were cold, it was almost impossible to warm them up.

But this was more than just her feet. This felt more like the time she had to sleep on an air mattress in the winter because they had company. And like any air mattress worth its purchase price, it deflated during the night to the point where her rump landed on the ground. Normally that wouldn't be so bad, except that the room was unheated, and the freezing temperatures were transmitted through the floor and into her rear end.

Cold seeped all the way down her legs and up into her chest. At one point, she even got up and put on her winter coat. It was the coldest she had ever remembered being at night, and it was impossible to warm up or go to sleep. Her Mom didn't understand why she was so irritable the next day, but she tried to be nice for the relatives.

Still this morning, her mind nagged her about why she was so cold. It was the bone aching cold that made her want to bury her legs under her Mom's legs on the couch.

The cold roused her to her uncomfortable surroundings more than the pain did; until she shivered. Sharp, stabbing pain blossomed under her right breast and she gasped as her eyes snapped open. Or, at least, she tried to gasp. A weight crushed her chest and back that only allowed her to take in half a breath. She exhaled and tried again with the same results. What on earth?

Her pain addled mind tried to take notice of her surroundings as she realized she was laying face down on a hard surface. She never slept on her stomach, even at home. In the forests, the ground was just too hard on her breasts, and at home, her mattress was dished like a hammock, and put a strain on her spine when she slept that way.

The pain that barely registered before was suddenly quite obvious and crippling. Her mind registered pain all the way from her head, to her back, to her legs. Her breathing picked up to a shallow, panicky pant. That was all she could muster, and each inhale hurt.

She struggled to open her eyes and wondered, all the while, why her eyes felt like they were glued shut, or crusted over. She blinked once and the lack of vision increased her sense of rising panic. What had happened? She obviously wasn't waking from a casual nights sleep, either in the modern era, or the Feudal Era.

All she could hear was her own racing heart and her own panting breath. All she could see was darkness. Wait, to her right, there was a small shaft of light. She jerked her head in that direction, and regretted it immediately. The pain arched through her neck and skull enough to make her scream, if she could have drawn a proper breath. Instead, all she managed was a strangled squeal. Her stomach twisted with nausea and dread.

As the pain dimmed in her head, she realized she could make out some objects in the dark. There were large gray boulders strewn about below the shaft of light. Some light reflected up to illuminate a small, dust filled cavern, about the size of a mini-van. She was in a cave. NO! Her panic escalated up another notch. She hated small spaces! Especially, small spaces with no door out! She could only tolerate elevators in the modern era, and then, only because they were brightly lit and she was only in them for a minute at the most.

Terrified sweat appeared on her brow and upper lip as she panted, "No, no, no, no!" and struggled with all her might to squirm out of whatever was holding her in this horrifying place. Each twist felt like her legs were torn off, but she couldn't stop herself anymore than a wild animal in a trap could stop from chewing off its trapped leg to escape.

Her vision sparkled with white stars around the outside edge of sight. She couldn't get enough air in her panicked state. She was suffocating, which only made her struggle harder. She couldn't breathe fast enough to supply the oxygen her body needed! She finally realized her situation. She lay on top of one rock, with what felt like half a house lying across her back. Another rock? She was pinned between two rocks?

Her mind barely registered a deep, raspy voice from the darkness as she slowly lost her battle to remain conscious. "Calm yourself." The white stars quickly overwhelmed her sight, and then sounds became distant. Finally, she knew nothing and drifted into the blackness of unconsciousness.


	3. Chapter 2 Look around

The next time her mind came up from the darkness, she remained still as the memory of fear made her wary to awake. The pain was still there. The cold was still there. The nausea was still there. The only thing that seemed different was that she could draw a deep breath. How was that possible? What happened to the boulder that had been pressing down on her back? She could still feel the ache on her upper back where the offending weight had nearly crushed her lungs.

Opening her eyes tentatively, she waited for them to adjust to the low light. Even that low light level sent a stab of pain through her head from her eyes to the back of her skull. There was a faint shaft of light to the right, but it seemed to fade away to nothing. She slowly lifted her head off the rock despite the pain this caused in her neck and back. She decided that leaving her face against a cold slab of granite was not the best idea for her aching head. Not to mention, that now her face was also cold. Dust drifted down through the shaft of light, and she assumed it was drifting down everywhere.

The walls were rounded, and oddly shaped, without the typical stalagmite formations that she had seen in movies that indicated water. The floor was not smooth like she had seen in movies where people lived in caves with floors that looked like poured concrete. The floor was a rough jumble of boulders of every size. And there was a massive boulder to her immediate right about three feet away, and a smaller rock that looked almost pulverized up against her waist on her right side.

As she gently turned her head farther to her left, she was shocked to find her backpack within reach on a smaller boulder that rest just below the boulder her top half rested on. She reached out a shaking hand to touch the sturdy yellow pack to make sure it was indeed real. Bloody fingers grasped the worn strap and rubbed the reassuring canvas and nylon. A sigh escaped her lips at the thought of comfort that simple gesture brought.

As she continued her right to left scan of the room, she could barely make out a lighter area to her immediate left. Since it was on the opposite side from where the tiny shaft of light cast any illumination into this dark hole, she couldn't tell if it was a boulder, or her imagination. As she sometimes did at night, she continued to stare at the object until her eyes could finally adjust and see better.

It was several minutes later that recognition hit her with a gasp. The shape moved, ever so slightly and she realized that she was looking at a face that was only three feet away. A very white face, with two dark marks on each cheek. She could just barely make out the large white fluff that was wrapped around the shoulders under the face. Sesshomaru!


	4. Chapter 3 How did I get Here?

His trademark, deep voice sounded too quiet and raspy as she heard him pant, "Remain calm

His trademark, deep voice sounded too quiet and raspy as she heard him pant, "Remain calm. I moved the boulder that was crushing you." This statement was followed by some harsh wheezing which sounded like repressed coughing. Her fear spiked instantly as she realized he was trapped in here as well, and seemed to be injured.

She couldn't help herself from asking, "What happened? Where's Inuyasha?" But, she wasn't really expecting an answer. She would have talked to herself and asked the same questions if she were alone. There is something comforting about hearing a voice, even if it's your own voice, when you are scared.

She racked her brain to try and remember what had happened just before this. She barely remembered a typical Feudal era morning. Inuyasha barked for them to hurry up. They heard rumors of an exceptionally strong demon terrorizing a village in the next valley. Miroku sweet talked a town elder into providing a hot lunch. Hakudoshi! That's right. He had attacked them with Moryomaru and Kanna.

Her mind drifted back thinking about how Sesshomaru ended up there. His pack had crossed paths with their own around mid afternoon when they had all stopped near the edge of the afflicted village. Jakken, Rin and Ah-Un had been ordered to stay there as Sesshomaru advanced alone in search of the demon believed to be Naraku's. Inuyasha, not one for being ignored, or beaten to a fight, raced after him, leaving his friends behind.

Kagome felt bad for Rin, being left alone like she was. Surely, Jakken was not enough protection, this close to a possible Naraku incarnation. Kagome lagged a bit behind Sango and Miroku, keeping an eye on the cheerful girl. Sounds of battle were heard nearby. How could it not be, when Inuyasha was so gleefully screaming out the name of his attacks.

Trees exploded just in front of Kagome, and she had to cover her face with her arms, and huddle down close to the ground to prevent being blasted apart with flying splinters of wood. In the gap created in the trees by the latest attack, Kagome could see the two brothers blasting at the barrier that surrounded Hakudoshi.

In a new trick, Hakudoshi's barrier was gathering and returning the blasts of demonic power released from the brothers' swords. Kagome was awed at the combined effects of Inuyasha's Adamant Barrage and Sesshomaru's Dragon Strike. If she had been closer, Kagome would have added a sacred arrow to the wave of destruction headed for the barrier. Surely, this would be enough. The combined power of the sons of the Great Dog General.

Sadly, it was not. The barrier glowed fluorescent for a moment before returning the wicked blast in her direction. Kagome only had a moment to throw herself to the side, over a fallen tree before the blast tore up the ground where she had been standing. When she gathered the courage to look back over the trunk of the tree, she saw a smoking crater that rivaled the burial site where the wind tunnel had taken Miroku's Dad. She heard a squawk coming from further to her right and turned to see the charred earth ended dangerously close to Rin, Jakken and Ah-Un.

In an instinctive move, Kagome sprinted back to the little group that she had worried about. Jakken might have the staff of two heads, but Kagome was unsure what fire could do against Hakudoshi and the reflected blasts. If she didn't know better, she would swear that he was targeting his blasts towards Rin. But, why would he do that? Maybe it was just a genetic trait built into all Naraku's creations to want to weaken the Inu brothers by endangering their loved ones? If that were the case, than Naraku wasn't as clever as they all believed him to be. Once their protective instincts were aroused, both brothers fought many times harder than normal. Surely, Naraku had noticed this by now.

Regardless of the reason, Kagome knew that she had to do something to guard Rin. Her mind flashed through all the things that Kaede had taught her and the meager skills she had developed to control her spiritual powers. She ran as fast as her legs would carry her. What would be helpful? She jumped over a large chunk of wood that had a moment before been a healthy tree. Would a purifying arrow cut through the ricocheted combined blast? She slid to a stop just before Ah-Un. Would her bow deflect the blast like she had Tsubaki's curse? She turned to hear more thunderous attacks from what was now a clearing. Could she just toss the girl onto the dragon and fly away and wait for the brothers? She watched as Inuyasha jumped before the next redirected blast and attempted to use his back-lash wave attack to send the force swirling back against Hakudoshi.

It didn't work. Kagome's eyes were as large as saucers as she screamed his name in support and fear. "Inuyasha!" She remembered Inuyasha telling her of the one other time the back-lash wave didn't work, and that was against Sesshomaru's own dragon strike and his father's dragon twister from Sounga. The crackling blue light and diamond tipped barrage overwhelmed the swirling winds of the back-lash wave and blew Inuyasha to the side in a bloody heap. The destruction continued its path towards her and Rin. Rin screamed in her childish panic, "Lord Sesshomaru!" and cowered behind Kagome.

Kagome pulled her bow and arrow up and launched her strongest attack against the certain death that was nearing. The arrow twisted through the energy and dissipated a portion of the strike before it too was overwhelmed and disintegrated. Behind her, Jakken was mounting Ah-Un and trying to pull Rin up to the saddle in an attempt to escape. Kagome watched the swirling blue death come near and held out her bow in front of her. Maybe she couldn't stop it, but she could deflect it enough to give Ah-Un a chance to get in the air.

The blast was upon her before she could form another thought. She braced herself and angled the bow to deflect the brunt of the attack to the side away from Rin and her group. But Rin would not detach herself from Kagome's waist, even with Jakken screaming and pulling. Kagome screamed as the pain tore through her hand and arm that gripped the glowing bow. It wasn't enough. The blast was breaking through and leaking around her aura.

Suddenly, Sesshomaru flashed into existence behind her and grabbed Rin. In one fluid movement, he tossed Rin to Jakken on the dragon and ordered, "Fly!" in a commanding booming voice. Then, Kagome's bow crumbled under the pressure of the demonic blast and she shrieked in pain. Sesshomaru threw himself in front of the priestess that had saved his Rin and took the remaining blast straight into his back. He wrapped himself around the tiny woman and tried to prevent any more harm to her. He had survived blasts from Sounga and Tetsusaiga, he was sure he could survive this.

The flash of light from the attack was overwhelmed by the glowing to life of Tenseiga's barrier. All who watched were temporarily blinded. The barrier had saved his life before when in battle with Inuyasha, and it appeared ready to repeat the action. Unfortunately, part of the blast had been deflected downward, and a large rumbling, crack appeared beneath their feet. In the midst of her pain, Kagome thought this was the portal to Hell that Kikyo had tried to drag Inuyasha into. But, then, the ground had cracked open to reveal a dark abyss below them. Gravity did the rest by pulling them with the falling ground down into the black cavern below.


	5. Chapter 4 When the Dust Settles

Chapter 4 As the dust settles.

Almost totally incapacitated by his injuries, and plunged into almost total darkness, Sesshomaru cursed himself for allowing the situation to get this far out of hand. He prided himself on self-control and foresight. The fact that he had allowed this situation to develop angered him to no end. He had not foreseen Hakudoshi targeting Rin and Jakken with the reflected blast. Although he was aware that Inuyasha's priestess had lagged behind the advancing group, he had not realized that she felt a need to protect his Rin.

He had witnessed the maternal instinct in some human females to protect a child, any child. This Kagome took that protective instinct to an extreme. She even protected the little fox kit, Shippo, as if he were not a demon to be feared and destroyed. He had never in all his travels far and wide heard or witnessed another priestess who cared so strongly for a demon child.

When he realized Rin was under attack, the woman had already moved to place herself between Rin and the impending danger. Sesshomaru knew he was fast, but he admitted to himself that he didn't know if he would have arrived in time but for Kagome's intervention.

He was not sure if it was gratitude, respect or concern for her wellbeing that had compelled him to shield this strange woman after assuring that Rin was away and safe. His pride labeled the action as gratitude since he would not admit, even to himself, to possessing any gentler emotions. It had seemed as natural as breathing to move in front of the screaming woman after her defenses failed.

So, here he lay, once again, injured by Tetsusaiga. He really had to stop doing this. It was ironic in a sense. The one sword he truly coveted was the only thing that had truly injured him. And just as the last time, he could not even move. His body was so damaged that he could only think and breath, and even breathing hurt. What an impressive sword. His mind wandered a bit as he remembered witnessing his all powerful Father wielding the might Tetsusaiga in battle against insurmountable foes.

His injuries actually hurt more than the other time Tetsusaiga struck him because at that time, the Wind Scar was the only strike involved. With it combined with his own Dragon Strike, he was more gravely injured, even though the exposure was for less time. He felt every gaping wound and bleeding gash that stung like acid as his body attempted to heal. His only comfort was his Mokomoko that was gingerly wrapped around his shoulders like a lover's caress. That and the fact that the battle above them had diminished into silence. Although there was not the pleasing scent of that Naraku spawn's blood to indicate he had been killed, neither was there the smell of the blood from any of Inuyasha's pack. The battle had ended and no allies had been killed. That thought alone had eased his mind a bit. Good allies were hard to come by, especially when anyone with half a brain would run in the opposite direction at the mere approach of the Demon Lord Sesshomaru.

Sesshomaru's eyes slowly adjusted to the almost complete darkness. He huffed when he realized what a small space he had been confined to. It was no larger than some dungeons he had seen in his travels. How disgraceful! One would think the fates could have arranged a more suitable cell for someone of his station. But, at least, there was little chance that a random, wandering lower level demon would discover him in his weakness. His Father would never forgive him if he appeared in the afterlife after having been dispatched by such a pathetic opponent. Admittedly, his great and terrible Father had suffered the final blow from his battle with a human, but he would have died from the fatal wound received by that deceitful dragon, Ryukotsusei.

For a moment, Sesshomaru's mind wandered to the day that his Father had died. No one had known of the depravity of the human lord, Takemaru of Setsuna. How a human lord could covet the mate of the Great Dog General was insanity. But as is the case with the insane, they sometimes are capable of deeds that a normal being is not. Somehow, the human had coerced that evil dragon from the mainland into an alliance for the purpose of destroying the Great Dog General and taking over the Western lands.

On any normal day, Sesshomaru knew that his Father could have defeated the dragon, though not as easily as he slew most of his enemies. Yet, Takemaru was clever and discovered the day of Inuyasha's birth, knowing that the pain and distress of his human mate in labor would distract the dog demon and lead to his inevitable demise. On top of that, Takemaru had kidnapped the Lady Izayoi as a contingency plan in the event that the dragon was incapable of upholding his part of the bargain. Sesshomaru had never been able to ascertain if the insane human's plan had been to hold her as a hostage or to destroy Inuyasha and take her as his own. Unfortunately, the truth died with the man in the flames of the destroyed castle.

Sesshomaru had never understood the human philosophy of "if I can't have you, no one can." It made little sense to his demon mind, even knowing what limited information he had on human "love." That did not seem to fit the definition of love that he had heard. It seemed more like a spoiled child who didn't get his way and was determined to make everyone around him suffer for his unhappiness. Did these idiots not consider the afterlife? Surely, those two souls would not end up in the same eternity. Even nearly immortal demons, like himself, understood about the afterlife.

He once again turned his mind away from his internal musings to assess his situation. The little cave was dark and small, but there was fresh air and a small tube of sunlight shining down through a hole in the ceiling. To his right, he thought he heard breathing and movement. He hurt so badly, he could not even move his head, but he sniffed deeply to determine who or what was near him. His mind almost laughed at his surprise to smell Kagome, his brother's traveling priestess. It only made sense that she would have fallen into this Hell with him. He almost laughed at himself for not realizing this earlier. If she was bent on his destruction, he would have been purified while he was still unaware.

The noises of panting and struggling increased beside him as he realized the girl was panicking. He could smell her fear, and feel the incredible waves of her power assaulting his already agonized body. He needed to do something before she injured him past the point that his healing abilities could recover. He ordered "Calm yourself." and was rewarded by a lessening in her struggles and panting. Her powers also receded to a more manageable level, but did not retract completely. They continued burning him with a feeling that he tried to ignore.

Turning his head ever so slightly, so he could see the girl out of the corner of his eye, he realized it had not been his command that had calmed her. The girl had fallen unconscious. He was rather shocked at her predicament. She had been caught in the collapsing debris of the cave in, and was pinned between two boulders. It could not be beneficial to human breathing to have such weight on her ribs.

Without even really thinking about what he was doing, he slowly unwound his Mokomoko from his shoulders and snaked it around the boulder above her. If he simply rolled it away, it would likely cause her more damage. So, he used what was left of his waning strength, and lifted the rock to clear her body, and flicked it away. That such a simply action would exhaust him so only proved his earlier thought that he was indeed more injured than he had ever been before.

He closed his amber eyes and allowed nothingness to fill his mind as he tried to separate from the pain of his body. Only the movement of the girl next to him drew him up out of the inky blackness a while later. He felt that he had to advise her of him moving the boulder that restricted her breathing before she panicked again. Then came the inquiries about their situation. But, unlike most of his experience with the priestess, she became quiet and lost in her own thoughts. Usually, she was the most annoyingly talkative person he had ever had the misfortune to meet. Now she was eerily quiet. She must have been gravely injured also. To think, a mere human taking the brunt of the blow that had injured him so gravely. 'She better be injured!' He thought. It would not do for her to walk away from the battle unharmed while he could not even move.


	6. Chapter 5 Tails?

Chapter 5 Tails?

Kagome barely remembered the sensation of falling and the surreal vision of dirt, rocks and grass tumbling down around her. Then the top of the cave collapsed back down. She thought it was going to fill in the hole and crush her. Then, darkness and pain swallowed her.

So, here she lay. Face down on top of a boulder. Her legs trapped by other boulders and dirt. Apparently, the layer of rock that formed the roof had only caved in enough to close up the hole and left them with a bit of room to breath. Sesshomaru had fallen in also and seemed to be in as bad a shape as she was. If he were healthy, he would have surely torn out of this confinement before the dust had settled.

So, where did that leave her? She took inventory of what she could. First priority; get that damn rock out from under her ribs! She shifted her upper body up onto her elbows, ignored the scream of pain through her bruised back and neck, and then pushed up with one arm enough to swipe the offending pebble out from under her. As she rested back down, she sighed in relief.

Next order of business was to see if she could free herself. If not, then she would have to wait for Inuyasha to find them, or wait until Sesshomaru was healed. She grabbed for her backpack, and with all the remaining strength in her uninjured hand, she dragged it up onto the rock she occupied. It was hard to lie face down on the rock and reach up into the bag, but she managed, even though it started a dull muscle ache in her shoulder.

Finding her trusty long-life, shock-resistant flashlight, she twisted around at the waist, and shined the beam towards her legs. It shocked her to see a torso growing out of a solid wall. She couldn't tell if her legs were bleeding, or even still attached for that matter. The rocks and dirt had completely filled in to cover her lower half. She stopped before she panicked again and reminded herself that she could feel pain and cold in her legs. That must be a good sign that they were at least still there. Right? So, she tried to wiggle anything below the waist. Her reward was increased pain and no movement of the wall.

Ok, so she couldn't get herself out. Someone else would have to dig. So, she turned to inspect the closest "someone" to her. She shined the flashlight on Sesshomaru's form, being extra careful not to shine the powerful beam in his sensitive eyes.

His clothes were shredded, most likely from deflecting the blast after her bow imploded. Blood seeped out every where she looked. Even his hair looked shredded and was stained pink. His armor was completely gone. His only remaining arm seemed to be twisted at an awkward angle. Was his arm broken? She could tell from the lack of reflection that his eyes were closed, and he appeared to be sleeping comfortably wrapped in his big, no longer white, fuzzy shoulder thing. If his eyes were open, would they reflect green like a cat's did at night?

Her mind drifted to what the fuzzy thing was. She once fancied it as his tail. But when she saw him transform in the Great Dog General's tomb, he had that same extra fluff running over his shoulders. It looked like the mane of a lion, almost.

She knew it must be attached, because she had seen him use it to strangle Inuyasha once. Her dazed mind half wondered, 'If Koga who's a full demon has a tail, and Shippo who's a full demon has a tail, does that mean Sesshomaru has a tail? And why doesn't Inuyasha have a tail when he transforms?' She pictured Sesshomaru with a white, bushy tail wagging behind him as he squared off against Inuyasha in battle. A half smile broke out on her face. Then, she pictured Inuyasha with a stiff, bristly tail like an angry cat as he was drawing his sword on the other side of the battle field. A half snort escaped her at the strange image her mind created.


	7. Chapter 6 Sweatpants

AN: Thank you for your endurance.

Chapter 6 ADHD-

Since she wondered about Sesshomaru's dog form, she wondered about Koga too. 'Can Koga transform into a giant wolf like Sesshomaru transforms into a giant dog? Will Inuyasha ever be able to transform into an animal?' She spent a minute trying to imagine Koga as a giant wolf, and her best friend as a smaller version of Sesshomaru's giant dog form. Somehow she thought Inuyasha would end up looking more like a puppy. It almost made her giggle.

Then her mind snapped back to reality. She called out, "Sesshomaru. Is there anything I can do to help you?" The silence stretched out and she wasn't surprised he didn't answer. He was self-sufficient and proud. She knew it was a struggle to get Inuyasha to allow her to bind his wounds and he was only half demon. She was sure Sesshomaru would be twice as bad.

His quiet voice whispered around the cave, "I will heal. Tend your own wounds." Kagome was shocked to get an answer, and she was also shocked at the breathy quality of his voice. It was as if he had run and was winded.

Okay, so, Sesshomaru would not be digging her out anytime soon. So, what about Inuyasha? She finally asked her companion. "What happened to Inuyasha?" again, she waited patiently, hoping the Lord of the West would have an answer.

It seemed like a full ten minutes later that he rasped out, "Inuyasha continued to fight. Then it was quiet. We have been here half the day." She had to shake the cobwebs out of her head to actually think about that.

Her last sight of Inuyasha had been of his body crashing into a bloody heap. Did he even know what had happened to them? Would he know where to look? What would he think when she and Sesshomaru both disappeared? Would he think they had perished? Would he think that Sesshomaru's sword had protected them both and carried them away from the battle? Then fear gripped her as she realized that Inuyasha had been left alone to fight an opponent that together, he and Sesshomaru had not been able to even scratch; and what of Sango, Miroku and Shippo? They would not have run away. They would have all kept fighting until they either won or died.

Apparently, Sesshomaru could either sense or smell her fear because he ordered, "Fear not. Your friends are strong fighters." in a tone similar to those he used with Rin. Kagome was reassured by the sentiment, but worried by the tone of his voice. Then, he made a soft whuffing noise and added, "Besides, he knows only I am allowed to kill him." She clicked the flashlight off so she wouldn't have to witness Sesshomaru's sick amusement over thought of the death of his own brother. She just couldn't understand that. She would gladly die to protect and defend her only little brother. It's what big sisters and brothers did. How these two had gotten so twisted that they hated each other was beyond her understanding.

Her mind returned to the uncomfortable situation they were in. So, rescue would be a while in coming. They needed to survive until it arrived. Survival equaled food, water, shelter. Oh, and no demons walking by thinking they looked like a buffet or demanding her jewel shards.

She thought of her back pack. They could survive quite a while on the dry Ramen noodles she had packed. And there were a few bottles of water she could ration. They were in a cave that didn't seem to expose them to the elements, other than the cold and it protected them from roaming hungry demons. She had medical supplies for cuts and such, and more importantly, warmer clothes. If she had known she would be squatting in a dank, cold cave later in the day, she would have dressed accordingly. Instead, she had dressed for the sunny day of walking above the ground.

She couldn't do much about the clothes on her lower body, but she was sure, if she piled enough layers on her top half that she could stave off the shivering cold. She reached back up into her bottomless bag, and removed every piece of clothing she had. What she couldn't actually wear, like extra pants, she could pile under her torso to cushion the hard rock on which she rested. It took longer than she expected, since she was half pinned to the rock face. But, with a bit of struggle and a lot of pain, she put on two extra t-shirts, a long sleeve shirt, a cardigan sweater and her rain jacket. She even pulled out some gloves that she had forgotten to remove from a front pocket of her bag. If she had not been lucky enough to find gloves, she would have forgone the embarrassment and put some socks on her hands. As it was, she wished she had left some earmuffs as well.

It was a struggle to keep her self raised off the rock long enough to stuff the extra pairs of pants under her, along with the pajama top. Her elbows ached from the time spent braced against the cold rock face. But, it was well worth the strain on her arms and back, when she rested back down on her soft padded nest; much better than a slab of granite. She had held back a pair of baggy sweat pants, since she thought she had better offer them to the demon lord beside her. His clothes were torn beyond recognition, and barely concealed his important parts. Surely, they provided no warmth in this condition.

She cleared her throat before she spoke quietly, "Lord Sesshomaru? I know you don't need any help from me, but I have an extra pair of pants that are soft and warm and I'm sure would fit you… except maybe for the length… you are really tall…." She stopped herself and shook her head. She had to stop rambling. That blow to the head must have affected her more than she thought. Before he could deny the offer, she continued, "Anyways, I would be honored if you would wear these pants. I would also hate for you to be cold as it might affect your rate of healing and slow our exit from this cave." She gently placed the sweatpants within his reach with her burned left hand and again continued, "I know they are nowhere near the quality you deserve, but, since your garments are destroyed, they would preserve your dignity until suitable replacements can be found."

She felt little butterflies in her stomach as she wondered if he was going to accept the fluffy, fleece pants. Did demon lords even care if they were exposed to the cold, or to the stares of others? Her mind dredged up an image of an embarrassed, blushing Sesshomaru, naked, with his hands covering his "parts" and squealing fan girls crowded around him. Poor Sesshomaru. Mentally, she put the tall, striking lord into a nice, casual jogging suit. Then she visualized him in a baggy, comfortable sweat shirt and sweat pants. They were her sweat pants, of course. Hmmm, maybe she needed to stop playing dress-up with Sesshomaru in her head.

She shook her head and realized that the hit to her head really had done some damage to her brain. She was never this flighty with her thoughts. Did she lose some brain cells? How long do brain injuries take to heal? She forced herself to return to the situation before her. In truth, the sweat pants she offered were really good quality, for what they were. But, they were not silk, or fire-rat fur. They were her favorite sweats to put on over her other clothes when the temperature took a dip unexpectedly. They were also wonderful for a lazy, sloppy day at home, although, those didn't happen very often anymore.


End file.
